What Was Broken
by Winds of Water
Summary: Severus was never stubborn for the right reasons in Harry's eyes. But just maybe, nothing ever stays the same. Just maybe, that stubbornness might mend what was broken. Snarry.
1. Chapter 1

Finally getting my second Snarry story up. I swear I've edited this thing so much that I'll never get it up unless I force myself to it. I can only say that some things will be made clear in time, as always. First chapters always make me so nervous. But... time to see how I do!

Enjoy the chapter!

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Chapter One

Harry sat quietly and lost in thought in the grass of his backyard, absentmindedly continuing to toss handfuls of seed to the wild birds who he fed daily. They flitted around him as a whirl of vibrant colors with hungry enthusiasm, in the process ignoring the other human sitting next to their self-appointed caretaker.

"Harry?" Hermione nudged gently, mindful of Harry's preoccupation with his thoughts. Courtesy might tell her not to press him so soon, but familiarity with how Harry could get lost in his thoughts caused her to recognize the importance of not being passive if she wanted an answer in the next week.

He slid back into the present, and paused in his bird feeding to give his full attention back to his closest friend. "I haven't been back to England since I left five years ago." He said in the quiet voice he'd over time adopted – or been conditioned to – due to a life led in relative self-imposed seclusion.

After he'd survived killing Voldemort and subsequently been able to graduate Hogwarts, Harry had by all accounts, vanished into thin air. Only his friends and the remaining members of the Order of the Phoenix knew where he'd gone, and he liked it that way. Yes, he still had gotten what could only be termed "fan-mail", but that had only lasted for about the first year and a half. Now it was only the odd letter sent to him, or the rare gifting of some materialistic item from a still grateful person. Other than that, his mail consisted of entirely missives sent out by friends or in regards to work related matters.

For the first time since Harry had realized his existence as a wizard, he had peace untainted by his unwanted titles and the suffocation of hero worship.

"I know." She replied, resting a hand on his knee. "It would mean a lot to me if you came. Even in disguise."

Harry smiled at her, and leaned over to kiss her cheek. "I vanished to this place once, I can do so again. I wouldn't miss this for the world. I always knew that one day you'd be doing something like this."

Hermione laughed at the admission. "Really now?"

He nodded. "Though honestly I've always thought you'd make a brilliant Minister of Magic."

She made a face. "Kingsley has got that covered, bless him. Fudge rather made me sick of the thought of being a politician."

"I'd say becoming the new Transfiguration professor is an acceptable compromise." Harry smiled at her. "How is Minerva? I haven't seen her since the winter."

"Better now that in her words, she has someone competent to fill her position upon her retiring." Hermione gave a half smirk. "I think she was waiting for that."

Harry chuckled, that did sound like his old teacher, comrade, and now friend. She would sacrifice years of retirement in the name of finding a suitable replacement to fill her position. He couldn't blame her for the need she felt to take no chances in making sure the students learned. And learn they would under Hermione. "And I suppose it didn't take much to convince him?"

Hermione knew to who Harry referred, and smiled tenderly. "When two women put their minds to something, little can stand in their way." She replied smugly. "It's been five years, can't you say his name?"

Harry gave a muffled sounding laugh, but it was not a happy one. "Of course. But I am trying to forget about him, remember? I can't do that if I put a name to what is finally becoming a shadow in my mind."

Hermione pursed her lips, and with a moment's hesitation, pulled a sealed envelope from her robes. It was marked with the Hogwarts crest, and she handed it to him. "I know, but I also know that I promised to deliver this while I was here. I'm not sure what it is, I didn't ask him."

Harry took it with a feeling of trepidation swirling in his stomach. "Thank you, Hermione." He said, looking upon it with a guarded expression.

She nodded, and kissed his cheek before standing. "I need to be going. I'll see you in two days though?"

Harry stood as well, and embraced her in a hug. "I'll be there, and congratulations again."

She beamed at him. "Take care, Harry."

And then she was gone with a _crack _of apparition through the wards.

Harry banished the remaining bird seed back to his small country house, and ignored the disappointed twittering as he walked towards the open back door. The envelope still in hand, he made his way into the kitchen. He sat down at the table, debating whether or not to trash the correspondence. It remained clutched in one hand for several minutes before he let it drop to the table with a sigh.

He'd rather not spend a perfectly good day dwelling on what he'd read. There was plenty of time to do that when he was being an insomniac later. Besides, he already knew the generic contents of any correspondence from a certain cynical man. It would have a biased tone, an undercurrent of cutting sarcasm, a bitter aftertaste, and annoying sprinkles of irrefutable good points.

It could wait.

Hogsmeade

Hermione sat down at the table with a smile to those already there. Her fiancé, Ron, Minerva, and Severus. Over the years they'd all come to at the very least, a cease fire. Though this had been more between a disdainful Severus and a grudging Ron. But it made things a good deal easier. "Hey." She said as she reached for the glass of water before her.

"Well?" Ron asked, impatient still despite the added years on his life. In all actuality, only his body had changed, making him taller, and erasing any lingering youthly fat from the lean face swamped by red hair.

Hermione smiled again. "He's coming."

"Yes!" One of Ron's fists punched the air enthusiastically.

Severus rolled his eyes at the display, but Minerva ignored Ron in favor of addressing Hermione for further details. "Does he plan to come in a disguise then?" She questioned.

"No." Hermione responded promptly. "Which should prove interesting, seeing how long it takes people to recognize him after so long."

"No doubt he'll come in banner flying." Severus sneered and looked away. "It'd take that idiot Longbottom not to recognize him."

"I'm sure that if you provide him with the banner," Minerva said blandly to her colleague, "that he'd humor you. Right before he tells you to stop being a single-minded prat."

Ron snorted inelegantly, "among other things – ow!"

Hermione frowned at him, not seeming to see the dark look he gave her.

Severus leveled a narrow-eyed black gaze on him, but said nothing. Sometimes, words were just unneeded. And in cases of tactless and witless Weasleys', words were a waste on them. All it took was a single look to cow them… perhaps Mrs. Weasley had managed to do something right after all.

Minerva was the one to brace herself into breaking the silence that had crashed down over their table. "Do you know how long he plans to stay with us?" She asked Hermione.

The young woman shook her head, and a small smile tugged at a corner of her mouth. "It's difficult to say. He may come for only the party. Or he may stick around a bit longer."

"Bloody hard enough to get him to leave that forest of his as it is." Ron rolled his eyes, his courage recovered for the most part. "Not that I blame him." He said, a quick glance shooting towards where Severus sat.

Courage recovered, yes. Common sense? …it was looking bleak.

Severus decided that he should probably wait to hex Granger's fiancé into a million undetectable pieces until after she'd signed her employment contract. How it hurt.

So it was with a great mustering of patience and self-control – in his mind he should really have a sainthood for this by now – that Severus turned his attention to more important things. "Did he read it?"

Hermione's eyes were not the only ones to turn to him. "I don't know." She replied honestly. "But he took it."

"Then that is something." Severus said, mostly to himself. It was better than what he felt became of the majority of the letters he'd had carried to Harry by owl. They probably had been incinerated on site without a second thought.

Minerva pursed her lips into a thin line as she regarded the man. "You're going about it the wrong way, Severus. His wards would allow you through."

"If you're under some misguided notion that I want him to come back, discard it immediately." Severus sneered at her.

Minerva gave him a severe look, but lowered her gaze with a shake of her head, saying quietly to herself, "one wonders then why you keep sending him letters."

"Leave him alone then, I'm sure he'd not mind." Ron piped up without regard to self-preservation. Just as a true friend would do.

Severus leveled him a frosty look that he was pleased to see still made the young man turn several shades paler. "Wanting him to come back and needing him to come back are two separate things. Not that I'd expect you to appreciate the line between them."

At that point, Hermione decided it was best to distract her fiancé with food, while he was still alive. Minerva merely was hoping that Severus wouldn't piss off Harry when he showed up for the party. Perhaps she could lace his drink with something that would make him incapable of speech?

It was worth the research.

Hogwarts

Three hours later found Severus in a different sort of company. That of hundreds of animated paintings of deceased headmasters and headmistresses all gamboling around or chattering with each other. Honestly, he wasn't surprised that Dumbledore had been so barmy. Anyone who was subjected to this mayhem was bound to suffer ill side-effects. He longed, achingly so, for his dungeons. But alas, as Headmaster now, he was bound for the same fate. To be driven to the brink of insanity by mere paintings, and live above ground.

It was the profile of the same man who'd plunked him into this position that he was currently staring at on its place nearest his desk. "You're insane." You'd have thought he'd already determined this, but no, it needed to be said aloud.

The portrait of Albus Dumbledore winked at him. "It will work, you just have to give it a bit more time."

"I've given it three years! Three! And nothing." Severus ignored some of the paintings chastising him to keep it down. Just wait… once he wasn't occupied by Albus, he'd hex every single bloody one of them into blissful silence. Or ash, whichever first came to mind.

"Three years of _letters_ hardly counts as much of anything." Albus sighed, "especially not the way you write letters."

Severus glared, but Albus merely twinkled at him with those infernal blue eyes. Even painted on canvas, the damn things still twinkled. "It's not as if I can just show up on his doorstep after what happened. That's taking too many liberties."

"In that case, perhaps you don't know Harry as well as you should, all things considered. So maybe he has the right of it in not answering your letters."

"Reverse psychology won't work on me." Severus stated rather firmly, and leaned back in his chair with a sigh.

"It worked on you when Harry did it." Albus reminded him, sounding almost perverse in his smugness.

Severus, despite his want to glare, could only close his eyes with a sigh. "He always was the exception to everything, no matter in what ways I tried to deny or fight against it. But your little plan won't work. There's absolutely no way he'd even consider helping out. Not that I want him to, but I've no bloody choice now. There's no one else _qualified_-" he ground out the word bitterly, "enough."

The smugness seemed to have entered the painted twinkling blue eyes now. "Telling him that just might sway his mind. You don't hold out much hope for someone who would sacrifice being around your acerbic tongue for the betterment of the school."

"He didn't think it so acerbic once." Was the soft reply, as the dark eyes took on a faraway look. But with a shake of his head, Severus cleared such pointless nostalgia from his mind. "See you tomorrow, Albus." And with that he rose from his chair, hexed the majority of the portraits silent for the appeasement of his own temper, and made his way up the ornate staircase that stopped at the door that led to the quarters the headmaster occupied.

Thus, him.

The rooms were bigger, brighter due to the many windows. But otherwise it could have been a near exact replica of his former quarters in the dungeons. He'd meticulously made a note of where everything had gone, and as such, it had been placed back in his new quarters exactly where it belonged.

Well… almost exactly.

He didn't look at the mantel over the fireplace for a reason. He hadn't looked at it for years now. And he bypassed it without a single glance as he made his way to his bedroom.

Norway

It was well past midnight, and Harry was still awake. Such was the life of insomnia he led. Dreamless Sleep potion no longer helped, his body had developed an immunity to it. And over time, being constantly woken up in the middle of REM sleep was far more annoying than waiting for the sleep to just come. At least then he didn't wake.

But it could get rather tedious waiting for sleep to come.

So here he sat at his table, an Irish Setter curled up nearby next to a food dish labeled 'Sahara', and a still unopened letter from Severus Snape resting innocently in front of him. He stared it down, until finally he could ignore the siren call no longer and picked it up.

Slitting it open deftly, Harry pulled free the short note. They'd been progressively getting shorter word by word over the years. And he began to read the meager four paragraphs.

_Harry,_

_I am sure by now that Miss Granger has talked you into coming  
to her party to celebrate her replacing Minerva. So in light of the  
fact that you wouldn't risk hurting her by not showing up, I'll get  
to the point._

_Clearly, it must be money, as by now I've exhausted  
all other ideas. Unless you've been burning all these letters._

_I will double any funds you are currently being paid by your  
current highest paying school or parent. You are an adequate  
resource these days, and I'm in need of a new Defense professor  
before the year starts. I've been forced to sack yet another __one._

_Again, if you change your mind on teaching, many here would  
gladly see you back even with your lack of hard credentials. _

It wasn't even signed.

Folding it closed again and shaking his head with a tired sounding exhale of breath, he couldn't even be bothered anymore to dissect the letters and be indignant over some of the comments. It did him no good, and it wasn't as if dissecting them made Severus run out of little jabs he could toss here and there. If anything, it probably would have delighted Severus to know that he was constantly irking him with them in some fashion. So he didn't dissect, didn't open himself up to being irked over them.

And if he had to admit it, the letters _were_ getting quite far from being snarky. Almost as if Severus was finally tiring of writing them. Oh how he could hope! But he knew that until he only started receiving scraps of parchment bearing just his name scrawled in old red ink, he'd be getting the letters. "Most stubborn man I know."

And with that, the letter incinerated in his grasp. He didn't even flinch. Only rested his head in one hand as his eyes fell shut – the ashes gathering on the table in a thin layer. "But not stubborn for the right reasons."

It was true, at least in his mind.

Here Severus was, stubbornly asking for three years over and over again for help. Help he'd gladly give if he didn't want to just forget about it all. Forget about Severus. And he couldn't do that with the man constantly pestering him! The man redefined the term 'bastard'. He'd thought that Severus would eventually get a clue, but luck it seemed was not to be with him any time soon. The man had never, in the end, understood him anyway.

Despite what he'd told Hermione, he couldn't let the man be a shadow in his mind. It was impossible with Severus not allowing it.

"Why couldn't he have been stubborn when I broke it off with him?" Harry asked quietly, not really caring that the only other occupant was a dog. "He just let me walk away, didn't fight for me. Only proved me right that he didn't really care, and that his damn insecurities mattered more to him than I did."

Maybe that party could be beneficial to finally getting the man off his back, in between celebrating with Hermione. With that uplifting thought firmly in mind, Harry stood up, finally feeling as if he might sleep at last tonight.


	2. Chapter 2

Slowly but steadily... I'll be glad when I've finally got the setup for the plot all tied up. Should only be one more chapter before we move out of setup and into lovely, lovely plot.

I hope you enjoy!

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Chapter Two

The day of the party found Harry pulling a set of robes from the back of his wardrobe. In fact, all his robes were at the back. Ever since he'd taken his leave of the wizarding world, save work related matters, he'd gone back to donning muggle clothing all the time. And he gave the dark green robes a bit of a shake as he eyed them critically. With a bit of altering they would fit him in height again – he'd actually grown over the past year.

"Shame Hermione would kill me if I showed up in jeans and a t-shirt." Harry muttered aloud, only getting a soft woof in answer.

Sahara, his Irish Setter of two years, was lying at the foot of his bed watching him with that uncanny intelligence that animals around magic possessed. And she was watching her owner struggle into the robes with tongue lolling out between parted jaws and tail wagging slowly across the bed.

Harry had long ago accepted the fact that he was as insane as every other pet owner, so he wasn't too bothered by the fact that he would sometimes have conversations with his own dog. But this afternoon he didn't have the time. All he said as he left his bedroom was "stay out of the cabinets", and then he was gone.

Sahara immediately leapt off the bed to go discover what was in the cabinets.

**X**

For a moment Harry just stood there, staring up at the castle he hadn't seen in five years. It had been a long time… a needed time. And had he not promised Hermione he'd come to the party, he sincerely doubted that he would have ever come back.

There were just too many memories here. Ones that he'd been trying to forget since he'd left.

Giving a small shake of his head he started up the path towards the castle. The party would only last a few hours and then he could disappear again.

Upon reaching the grand front doors he stood there for a moment just staring at them, before taking a bracing breath and passing through them. He was only a few paces into the castle when he heard his name called out.

"Harry! You made it." Minerva smiled a rare smile as she walked towards him.

Harry smiled back, "you weren't waiting for me, were you?"

Minerva stopped as they met halfway in the hallway. "Hermione wasn't able to make it, and she was stressing that you'd get halfway here and try to run. Ron is dealing with her, but I promised to come in her stead."

Harry rolled his eyes, "she worries far too much about me."

Minerva's smile was verging on wry. "Severus was believing you'd come in banner flying, and while I know how you feel about such things, I also informed him that if you were provided with the banner you would. Are you interested?"

Harry actually cracked a small laugh, and shook his head. "Honestly, if all I have to say to the man is hello, it'll be enough."

"I take it you're only staying for the party then?" Minerva said as she turned, and they began to walk down the hallway together towards the staffroom.

"I see no reason to stay longer." Harry agreed, "it's not like my wards don't allow everyone in to visit. And since _he_ never – … it's best if I go back."

**X**

Severus had known instantly the moment Harry had appeared. The wards of the castle had been set to alert him... something that after he'd spelled to happen, Albus hadn't been able to stop snickering for a good hour.

"And just why did you do that to the wards?" Albus smirked from his portrait.

Severus was sitting at his desk still, he'd been trying to finish up some tedious paperwork when the wards had signaled him of Harry's presence and since then he'd been unable to focus. Though it could also be due to Albus's resumed laughter at his expense. "To see if he would actually come."

"He came for Hermione, not you." Albus pointed out. "He'll tolerate your amiable presence for a few more hours in order to support his friend."

Severus glared at him, "and how do you recommend I get him to say more than hello to me when I need to convince him to stay?"

"Start with an apology and kiss him?" Albus suggested, oblivious to the glares.

"He made his choice." Severus stood up at last, "he was the one who left. I have nothing to apologize for."

**X**

When Harry reached the staff room it took Hermione all of three seconds to spot him. And suddenly he had his arms full of elated bushy-haired friend.

"Harry!" She pulled away from their hug, keeping her hands clasped on his shoulders. "You're here earlier than I expected."

Harry smirked at her, "should I leave and come back?"

"Absolutely not." Hermione rolled her eyes, and smiled as Harry kissed her cheek. "Come on, everyone has been waiting to see you."

Harry took pause to look around at who was in attendance, most of whom had already noticed his presence by now. Minerva had wandered over towards a table groaning in bottles of wine, champagne, and harder vintages – Harry, knowing his former Head of House's love for wines, didn't spare thought as to the reason. Ron was heading his way with Neville, who'd taken over Herbology for Pomona when the aging witch had become a grandmother. Binns and Sinistra were chatting over some topic or another near the hors d'œuvres, Vector seemed rather preoccupied with an internal monologue, and Filius was waving from his perch on a high stool. Trelawny was inconspicuously absent – no doubt something to do with her blessed inner eye. Various other professors whom he didn't know did the only thing new people in his presence usually did, stared.

Some of these people visited him often at his home in Norway. The ones who he trusted, whom he knew. Really, the only one who hadn't lately was Minerva. So he waved back at Filius for the moment as he went to greet Ron and Neville.

"I see you're looking well." Ron grinned as he clapped his best friend heartily on the back.

"The fresh air is good for me." Harry grinned back, and then turned to greet Neville with a hug.

"Harry's right." Neville said as he hugged his friend back and then drew away. "The fresh air is good for that forest and for his health."

Ron rolled his eyes. "Well, it'd do you some more good to leave that place more often. You're going to get an extreme case of cabin fever and before you know it you're in Mungo's."

"I do get out though sometimes for work. I don't do everything at my home." Harry reminded him.

His job currently consisted of teaching or tutoring students from schools around Europe in the art of Defense, and occasionally dueling. It was just a small network of witches and wizards who preferred for various reasons to teach more exclusively. And it was all run through a scholarship program, he didn't need the money. He just did things this way because… because of _him_. But that was all in the past now.

Whenever he had a student, that student would floo in at the appointed time. Otherwise, his floo was blocked to all fireplaces but those belonging to his close friends. So yes, much of his job was centered in his home or the forest beyond, but occasionally they did travel further out.

"How is Sahara doing?" Neville asked to draw the topic away from Harry's nonexistent cabin fever.

Harry smiled brightly, "much better, thanks. I still can't believe she ate a whole rug."

Neville was relieved, and truly relieved. Not the kind of passing relief you felt if some random pet were to have been sick and then gotten better. The relief that took a weight off your shoulders. He knew how much that dog meant to Harry, and his friend had been panicked senseless when he'd firecalled one evening asking for help on what to do. Neville had administered a plant extract that had helped break down the rug so Sahara could pass it through. "Should have known she'd do something like that though after she ate that coat of yours."

"I liked that coat too…" Harry sighed, but shrugged. "I just think that she's under the impression she's a goat when it comes to her stomach."

"Why does that sound so familiar?" Hermione enquired sweetly while smirking at her fiancé.

Ron coughed quietly behind one hand. "I'm sure I have no idea what you're talking about."

Harry grinned and stepped away slowly. "I think I'll go grab a drink and say hi to Filius." And with that, he seized Neville by the arm and hustled them away.

As soon as Harry had a drink he went over alone to speak to Filius.

"I'm glad you really did come." Filius said in greeting as Harry settled down onto a stool next to him.

Harry smiled faintly as he stared into the merlot in his wineglass. "I couldn't let Hermione down." And he looked up at Filius then, "no offense meant, but are you thinking about retiring anytime soon? It feels as if all the old professors have dropped away like flies to other pursuits."

Filius smiled cheerfully, "think of it how you may, but teaching here _is_ my retirement." And he looked around at the crowd of other professors. "Though I see what you mean… the older of us are all leaving as we find competent replacements. They say a lot of things skip a generation, it seems it holds true here. Your generation is certainly making another appearance in these halls."

"Yeah." Harry followed his gaze. "There was a time I used to think this was the only place I could ever call home. But not everything is meant to be."

"Are you happy with your work now?" Filius asked, being careful to step clear of any mention of a certain individual.

Harry didn't pause at all to think about it before saying, "I am."

Filius could only hide a sad smile behind a sip of his own wine. Though not at all hesitated, that answer had seemed far too rehearsed. But it was not his place to interfere. He may not have chosen sides when Harry had broken up with Severus five years ago and subsequently left the country, but he had always found it sad that day by day both Harry and Severus were trying to trick themselves into thinking they were happy without each other.

"For the sake of my own curiosity," Harry began after a moment, "who would you want as your replacement?"

Filius chuckled and lowered his voice to a conspiratorial tone, "Draco Malfoy. And you'd agree if you'd seen the power of the cheering charm he accidentally backfired on himself one day."

Harry's laugh was uncertain at best, "backfired? But wouldn't that make him a bad replacement?"

"Even the greatest wizards have had their magic backfire on them at one point or another." Filius reminded Harry pointedly.

Harry conceded that point with a grim nod. Yes… he was living proof after all that not everything about magic was written in stone, no matter how powerful the caster of said magic. "Draco Malfoy…" he tilted his head a bit as he thought about it, "I'd say if you can get him to come back from Bangkok, then you just might have yourself a dedicated replacement."

"That's the trick, isn't it." Filius chuckled a bit, "getting those of you who left to other countries to come back."

"He had as good a reason as I." Harry offered in mild defense. He wasn't exactly friends with Draco, but they had come to an understanding. Especially in light of what Narcissa had done in his final battle with Voldemort.

It was then the staffroom door opened again, and whatever Filius said in reply was lost on Harry whose eyes had jerked towards it reflexively.

Severus knew instantly by habit of long ago exactly where Harry was when he entered the staffroom. So it came as no surprise to him when his eyes immediately found the bottomless green ones. Eyes he hadn't seen in five years. Eyes that made it strangely hard to breathe… just as they'd once done so many years ago. But this was ridiculous, and he tore his gaze away. He needed a stiff drink, and then he could brave attempting to get himself a new defense professor.

Harry swallowed hard and looked away from the man as Severus walked off, taking another sip of his wine. Perhaps before the first year of their separation was over he might have felt some form of longing or pain for the man who clearly still didn't care about him. But not now. Now he could only chuckle dryly to himself and realize he'd been right all along. He'd done the right thing in leaving.

Filius had not been the only one looking between the two men when Severus had entered. And those professors who didn't understand what the sudden collective silence had been about were being informed. He felt rather bad for Harry, knowing that the young man probably didn't want to be the subject of gossip again, but it seemed that Harry was unaware. "You okay?"

Harry nodded mutely at first, and then gave a small smile. "Just further proof to me."

As the party drug on through toasts, laughter and conversation, and a continued draining of the provided alcohol, even Ron had begun to relax that the resident Headmaster was going to embrace his usual snarky self and attempt tormenting Harry. As for Harry himself, few people were worried about him starting something… he had to be baited at the best of times.

It was only near the end of the party when only a few professors were left that Severus decided it was time. He couldn't put this off much longer, or Harry would be long gone. So he bade his time a bit longer, waiting until Harry was alone by the dessert platters looking at trifles before he swooped in.

Far too fast for even Minerva who'd been eyeing him like a hawk the entire party, to stop him.

Harry didn't even have to take a proper look to know who was suddenly at his side. The posture, the imperious air, the scent… it was all the same. "At least you have some tact." He said offhandedly as he selected a trifle at last.

"Care to elaborate?" Severus replied as he watched Harry take a fork as well, and then those green eyes were piercing him once more.

The corner of Harry's mouth quirked a bit. "Less people… less chance to make a production out of whatever fool's errand you have on your mind."

Severus as unfortunately out of potential insults regarding fame and the like, as he knew very well how Harry felt about public spectacles in which he was a part. Their past relationship had not been forgotten entirely… damn it. "Did you read my last letter?"

"Mmm…" Harry hummed around his bite of trifle, and swallowed. "Smart of you to use Hermione as an owl. But I read the others too. You're losing your edge. The last one had zero snark, and it read as if you wrote it while distracted."

"Albus." Severus muttered, not sure why he cared to defend that particular thing.

Harry's smile was almost sympathetic… almost. "You should listen to him already and stop trying. And it's not about the money, before you go there. If you seriously believe that's the reason, you clearly don't know me as well as you should."

Severus scowled at the little shadow of a reminder of any part of their past together. "Then what is it you want as compensation?" Yet he didn't pause for an answer, "because I'll be honest with you."

"Honest?" Harry snorted, unmindful that Severus had still been speaking.

"I am at my wits end trying to get a decent defense instructor. And you… you're…" Severus almost grimaced as he remembered the word Albus had been coaching him to use ever since he'd first done so, "the most qualified. You always were. I should know."

"And yet you natter on in your letters about my lack of hard credentials." Harry replied lightly. "How painful was it for you to say that just now? And be _honest_."

"Extremely." Severus ground out. "If I truly minded hard credentials though I'd not still be bothering after three years of being turned down by you."

Harry smirked and turned away to leave. "Maybe after another three you'll get a clue. But I hope you'll stop trying now that I've turned you down yet again, this time in person."

"Harry-"

Harry paused and looked back over his shoulder at Severus with a smile that looked as if he was at his own wits end. "I need, and want, to forget about you. I get that there are a lot of things more important to you than I am, there always were… but it's not always about you. Not when it comes to me."

Severus was only stunned for a few seconds before he took several long strides to catch back up to Harry and pull him around by his arm. "You don't think I know that?! So you don't want to be around me, fine. We'll work it out so we never have to see each other. It's not like I want you to come back either. But what I want is being overruled by what I need. And what the school needs. And what the school needs is _you_!"

Harry's eyes flashed for a moment before he wrenched his arm free. "Flattering. Have you ever considered the thought that you're just blinded by this selfish want to have me teach that you're incapable of seeing the good qualities in any of the others?"

From one part of the room, Hermione, Ron, and Minerva were watching the two closely, but not yet interfering. Yet all three were on pins and needles waiting to see what would happen. Neville had already made his escape, not exactly over his fear of the now Headmaster.

"I didn't know that's what the letters were about, though." Hermione muttered quietly, one hand going to her chin.

"I'd no idea either." Minerva replied back just as quietly. "I'd always thought it was Severus being… Severus."

Ron crossed his arms over his chest with a huff. "Not like it matters. The git was the one who screwed it all up anyway."

Severus meanwhile wasn't backing down from Harry's glare. He knew Harry, and if he could just outlast Harry's stubbornness, he could have a new defense professor before the day was out. "If you're not going to do it for anything else, at least recall the horrors of your own parade of Defense instructors and why you formed that ridiculous D.A."

"I seem to recall you being the reason the only decent one left the school. And personally, I don't see anything wrong with following his footsteps. We both left because of you, so you can lay off the 'horrors' speech." Harry countered tartly, and suddenly banished his barely touched treacle to seize Severus by the arm and drag him towards the door of the staffroom.

"Harry, release me." Severus growled as he fought fruitlessly against the stranglehold on his arm.

"Shut up!" Harry snarled back.

As the pair vanished through the door, Ron looked at his fiancée uncertainly. "Should we go after them?"

Hermione looked at Minerva, and slowly they both shook their heads. "At this point if they get into a fight it'd be too dangerous for us to get involved." Hermione answered, feeling a bit frustrated by the fact.

But it was true, if things came down to a fight, it would only get dicey for anyone else nearby.

Meanwhile Harry finally released Severus as they turned the corner to a different corridor, and he spun to face the man with flashing green eyes. "I shouldn't be surprised that you just don't fucking get it. And yet, I am."

"Wonderful." Severus sneered, "now _you_ shut up for a minute. Cut all the woe-is-me crap, Harry. In a world like ours do you honestly think that even moving to Norway will keep you from seeing ex-lovers in the wizarding world? So we had a good thing going once, it's over now. I'm mature enough to look past all of that and realize that I need your help. But what about you, Harry? When are you going to stop being a spoiled brat?!"

"It would have worked if you'd have stopped trying to contact me!" Harry fumed.

"I gave it two years." Severus reminded him. "Two years for you to get the fuck over it. You're the one who left me, not the other way around."

Harry laughed bitterly, "you never bothered to ask the reason why I left. I don't see the difference."

"I never needed to know." Severus replied softly.

The anger fled Harry instantly, leaving him with only an icy chill. "That's how it was then?" He laughed darkly with a shake of his head. "Then I was right to have no regrets. And I am not a spoiled brat… I'm just not a cold-hearted bastard. I don't expect you to understand the difference."

With that, Harry spun on his heel and stalked away before Severus could grab and stop him.

"Harry, please." Severus called after him, hating himself for using that 'please' word. "Find a replacement eventually if you truly can't stand being in the same castle with me again. Even if we don't see each other."

Harry threw a weary look over his shoulder. "Find a replacement? Your dedication to me as always leaves me astounded. Goodbye, Severus."

Severus swore as Harry vanished out of sight, probably to say goodbye to his friends and run back to his forest. That had not gone at all like he'd planned, and he took his frustration out on the stone wall as he slammed his fist against it. It hurt… but not near enough. Yet he drew away to hurry for his office with a swish of his robes.

He needed to speak to Albus again… unfortunately.

Meanwhile Harry was hugging Hermione after saying his goodbyes to the group who'd been waiting anxiously for him to return.

"You're sure I don't need to hex him?" Ron said once Harry had released Hermione.

Harry smiled wanly, "I'm sure. Hopefully he'll give up now."

"For what it's worth, and I don't mean to upset you," Minerva began, "he really has had trouble filling that position. All the possibilities just… withered and died. It's been really embarrassing."

"I guess I should have asked Voldemort about the specifics of that curse he placed on the position before I killed him." Harry replied lightly, actually smiling a bit.

After a few more minutes Harry said his final goodbyes and was escorted down to the gates by Hermione and Ron who he gave last hugs to before apparating away. Hoping and yet knowing at the same time how false such a hope was, that the man currently occupying the Headmaster's chair would finally leave him alone.

Said Headmaster was grabbing a sheet of parchment as he turned to Albus's curious face staring at him from the portrait. "That went so well that I actually am starting to wonder if a random apology and a snog would have gotten me anywhere better."

Albus actually smiled, "maybe next time you'll listen to me. Now I'll dictate, you write – since you're a failure at writing letters."

Severus had only the time to get in a good glare before he was hurriedly writing down what Albus was saying.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three

Hogwarts

"Now I believe the weather in Norway has been oddly chilly this time of year in that forest, remember your cloak."

The untidy scrawl of Severus's signature suddenly shot up across the paper in a startled line as he turned disbelieving eyes on the portrait twinkling at him with amusement. "You cannot be suggesting that I –"

"I am." Albus interrupted simply.

The quill tumbled from his hand as Severus stood up sharply from the desk. "No!"

"Severus," Albus began in a no-nonsense tone, but Severus wasn't so keen to listen.

"I am not going there! I don't care if his wards would allow me. The letter should be enough." Severus was adamant about this. Under no condition was he apparating off to Norway to have a door slammed in his face.

Albus gave a long-suffering sigh. "If you do not, you won't be filling that position with his name at all. Harry can be reasonable, you know this. You need to make more of an active effort towards him, Severus. It's what Harry always – just go to him."

And when Severus looked about to protest further, a cutting "now!" emitted from the portrait.

Severus scowled, itching to make a snide comment about who was headmaster now, but found himself unable when Dumbledore vanished from the frame. "Damn him." He growled, his dark eyes now turning to the letter on his desk.

After a moment's pause more, he strode forward to angrily snatch it off his desk and stalk towards the office door. He knew this was a waste of time. Even if Potter's wards still would allow him passage after their encounter earlier, he doubted that the man himself would. But sure, why the hell not. He hadn't had a door slammed in his face for a long time, he was overdue.

A few times he had nearly been approached by some of the professors, but one look at his stormy expression made them think better on any immediacy of issues. Which was probably the safest thing any of them could do as far as survival.

And so he stalked his way to the gates, robes snapping behind him magnificently, but the appeal of it gave him little pleasure as he pulled out his wand and glanced down at the letter he held clenched in his other hand. "Why do I feel like I'm attending a Death Eater meeting again?"

And then he was gone.

Norway

Severus stared at a small country house surrounded on all ends by towering trees, feeling more than a little miffed. It had worked? He would have thought that surely the wards would no longer be keyed to him. So it seemed to be down to whether or not that door would slam back closed in his face.

A heavy breath gusted from his lips as he started forward while squaring his shoulders in an almost defiant posture. Reaching the front door he raised a hand and rapped smartly before taking a step back, not really caring to risk losing his prominent nose in the event of a door-slamming.

Only a few seconds later the door swung open revealing a confused looking Harry Potter, who upon laying eyes on him, looked even more confused.

"We need to talk." Severus said firmly before that door could swing back shut.

Harry didn't respond right away, a bit too shocked still that Severus was on his doorstep. He had hoped that Severus would have finally left him alone after their argument at the party, and he knew that such a hope would have a slim chance of coming to fruition, but he had never expected that the man would come here.

Severus had _never_ come here… not even to chase after him when he left.

"Are you here by choice?" Harry asked at last, trying not to think about that particular disheartening event.

A short, bitter laugh escaped him as Severus looked at Harry in helpless exasperation. "No." He knew that lying would get him nowhere, not with Harry. Spy though he may have been, somewhere along the way when they'd been dating Harry had learned to see through his mask.

"Dumbledore." It was not a question, and Harry said the name with more than a little resignation. Shaking his head a bit he stepped back in the doorway while pulling the door open further. "Come in then."

Severus didn't move from surprise. Harry was inviting him in? What underhanded tactic did the man have planned…

"Don't look so shocked and suspicious." Harry reprimanded him and gave an impatient jerk of his head. "Get in, or go away."

Severus didn't want to even think about the reaming Albus would see fit to give him if he chose the latter option. So with no other choice he stepped inside.

"Good." Harry said and shut the door firmly behind Severus as he moved inside. "You're the type that looks stupid standing on my doorstep." He brushed past Severus, not caring to note the indignant expression his observation had caused.

Severus glowered at the retreating back before following after Harry. "So, there have been many types standing on your doorstep? Just how many people have you left after me?" He asked cuttingly, unable to help it.

Harry snorted bitterly at the implication, but the culmination of the reasons he'd left Severus kept him from growing angry. In truth, he felt sad… just when he thought Severus could know him no less… but he was too tired of it all to try disillusioning the man any longer. He'd tried for near an entire year before he'd left.

"There was no one after you." Harry replied as he eased himself back down into his armchair while waving for Severus to likewise take a seat. "But I know you don't care about any of that, you made it clear earlier. So why are you here, exactly?" He asked as he picked his book back up but made no move to resume reading it.

Severus couldn't agree more. He'd stopped caring about things like that the moment Harry had walked out on him. "Maybe I did the single world a favor then." He muttered as he took a seat on the sofa.

Harry pretended not to hear him.

"Albus wrote you a letter, through me." Severus held out the sheet of parchment almost as soon as he had settled onto the cushion. "And then demanded I be an owl. Though I am surprised that your wards allowed me to come."

Harry grunted noncommittally as he took the letter in hand, choosing to ignore that last comment. He could barely understand it anymore himself. It wasn't as if he knew that Severus would never come here trying to win him back. Not that he wanted the man to anymore as it was. "You look more like an overgrown crow than an owl." He muttered and ignoring the glare he could feel on him settled in to read.

_Harry,_

_I realize how unfair it is for me to ask yet something_

_else of you when by all rights I should be leaving you_

_to the peace you've found. I do not ask this of you for _

_anything less than the fact that I know and believe you _

_are the only one fit for the job. _

_There are so few left at Hogwarts now whom Severus _

_cannot intimidate. The school will need you, the _

_students will need you, a teacher, and as much as I hate_

_to impress the truth upon you, Severus may need you _

_before the year is done. If only to beat it into him that_

_you're not the only person suitable for the job._

_Admittedly right now you are, as Severus was Severus _

_during the interviews and, well I won't tell you how_

_that went. You know how he feels about Defense Against_

_the Darks Arts as a position, and how he views most_

_people in general. _

Here Harry actually gave a quiet chuckle. "Did you frighten the candidates into moving across the world?"

Severus scowled, and Harry went back to reading with a smirk that seemed far too Slytherin for the Gryffindor poster boy.

_Until you can find a replacement, I sincerely doubt _

_he'll ever accept anyone other than you. Though I _

_wish circumstances were different… you always were _

_a prodigy for the subject. You showed that often enough _

_with the D.A._

_Harry, I would not ask this of you if I truly could see no _

_other way. I know why you left, and more than anything _

_I wish that I could continue honoring your decision. _

_But I am at a loss, as is Severus._

_Sincerely,_

_Albus Dumbledore_

_Severus Snape_

Harry closed his eyes as he folded the letter with a mental sigh.

Severus watched him until he recognized the signs, rusty though he was, that Harry was close to becoming lost in thought. "Harry?"

At that, Harry opened his eyes to look at Severus expressionlessly. "You must have balked at writing most of this."

Severus's eyes narrowed, "amuse yourself on your own time."

Harry gave a hollow chuckle and looked back down at the letter now folded in his grasp, lips pursed slightly in contemplation of its contents. "Did he tell you why I left?"

"I told you already," Severus snapped, "I never needed to know."

Harry nodded slowly, the ice he'd felt earlier at those words now coupled with disappointment in the man he'd once loved fiercely. "You stand by what you said earlier? If I find a replacement, will you honor that person's contract and leave me alone?"

"Yes." Severus said without hesitation. So long as he got what he wanted now.

"Your word, Severus. Your word that after I do this one thing, you will stay away from me wholly." Harry insisted through narrowed eyes, though he knew Severus's words and promises where he was concerned weren't always written in stone.

"You have it."

Harry looked away as he slouched back in his chair, knowing and yet ignoring that Severus was eyeing the posture in disapproval. "Did you ever wonder why that last year we were together I also kept turning down the position? Didn't it ever strike you as odd?"

Severus was beginning to irritably wonder just how many more questions he had to go through. But oddly enough, that question gave him pause, and for once, he wasn't sure he was entirely happy with the truth. "I can't say I did." He admitted with a frown to himself. How could he have not have… but it didn't matter now! "Only that it frustrated me to no end. Rather like it still is doing."

Harry's mouth twisted in a small, somewhat sad smile. "Don't expect to see me much then. I'll be there by week's end."

Severus could have fallen off the sofa in shock, it had worked?! But damnit it, Albus was _never_ going to let him forget about this. Scowling at that unpleasant thought he ground out, "not going to haggle me about salary? I'm surprised."

"You wouldn't be if you knew me half as well as I once thought you did." Harry replied quietly and stood up. "Pay me, don't pay me. Just leave now." And as an afterthought added, "please."

Severus was more than happy to do so, but halfway from the sofa he paused and turned around to see Harry staring stonily at the quiet fireplace. He debated opening his mouth, everything in him telling him to let a good thing be, but still he asked. "Why the change of heart?"

Harry didn't look away from the fireplace, "because he always knew how to appeal to the Gryffindor nature in me. And a bit more selfishly because I have your word that after this you'll finally leave me alone. I doubt even Dumbledore would be so cruel to me as to make you break that vow."

"Yes, I forgot that everything has to be about you." Severus sneered, knowing as the words left his mouth how untrue they were.

"You know that's not what I meant." Harry glared over at him now. "Don't sound like a fool on my account, Severus. It's unbecoming for you. But it would have been nice if some things had been about me. Now leave."

Severus bit down on the retort that had instantly leapt to his tongue. Something in the way those green eyes were piercing into him robbed him of words, leaving him with the sudden feeling that he didn't want to stay and test his luck.

So with a snap of his robes he whirled and strode from the house, slamming the front door behind him before quickly apparating away.

Harry let out a sigh as he felt the wards hum with Severus's departure, then gave a shake of his head. The letter crumpled in his hand before he tossed it to the empty fireplace for use as fuel later tonight. "I suppose the Mauraders Map is about to become useful again."

With that minor uplifting thought he turned to venture into his bedroom where Sahara lifted her head curiously out of her catnap.

"I'm afraid there will be fewer rabbits to chase at Hogwarts." He informed her as he sank down onto the floor next to his four-legged familiar. "But Slytherin first years are always fair game."

He knew that he needed to contact all the students who he normally tutored and inform them that there'd be a general change in location. He knew that he should probably contact his friends and inform them of his decision and newfound way of Severus leaving him alone after this; hopefully before word got out via Severus, the portraits, or Merlin help him, the Daily Prophet. And he knew that he really should think about packing, but for right now all he could find in himself to do was sit beside Sahara and scratch behind her ear obligingly.

Hogwarts

"Did it work?"

Severus hadn't even made it to the desk before Albus's voice was haranguing him. "No." He growled just for spite. "It seems we're even now."

Albus's eyes were on the taciturn Headmaster as he took the chair at the desk. "Then why do you look pleased?"

Severus glared, and then shifted that glare to some of the other portraits who had begun loudly demanding clarification. "Yes! It worked! Now all of you shut up before I paint over you."

They fell silent with grumbles, save one.

"You didn't upset him unnecessarily, did you?" Albus leered at the man.

Severus couldn't even find it in himself to snarl at him to be silent. "He didn't go so far as to physically throw me out. So I count that as a meeting well ended. Now do shut it, I have work to do now that I finally have a professor."

Albus merely left his frame to go visit with Armando Dippet in his frame where the two spoke in hushed voices while eyeing Severus.

Severus tried not to mind.

He did after all have quite a bit of work to do, things that he could now give his full attention to now that he had a defense instructor. The one he wanted, even if he had a feeling that Harry would only stay until he had found a replacement. However maybe, just maybe, he could appeal to that Gryffindor side as well to cause Harry to stay the entire year and not force the students to change instructors mid-year.

Norway

_Three days later…_

Harry was smirking as he balanced a sturdy cardboard box on Sahara's shoulders as the dog stared up with eyes that seemed to question his sanity. "You're moving with me, you should help." He teased her through a laugh.

"Are you torturing your dog?" Ron called from the other room.

"Ye-oof!" Harry grunted as Sahara sidestepped from under the box causing it to tumble into his legs. "Thanks, girl." He grunted as he picked it off his now-crushed feet.

Sahara's tongue was lolling out through a dog-grin as her tail wagged complacently.

"Are you sure you don't want to pack all your cookware?" Ron called from where he must be in the kitchen. "Not that I'm complaining, mind, you've got more pots and pans than my mum does and it's only you and Sahara."

Harry laughed and carried the cardboard box out to set it with the ever-growing but still small pile of the immediate things he'd need while living in the castle. "I'll be fed, don't worry. Just because I don't plan to eat in the Hall on days I'm not required to doesn't mean I can't run down to the kitchen or call for something to be brought to my rooms."

In the kitchen Ron had his hands on his hips as a slight scowl marred his features. "It should be him hiding off in his office like that, not you."

Harry wandered in, "I'm not about to argue it with him. Besides, it's not hiding. It's just… avoiding any more reminders, or pain, or not proving to him that I _can_ use the killing curse."

"Still," Ron sighed, "he has a lot of nerve. Dumbledore too, to ask this of you when he should be silent in his portrait. It's a fucked up tradition I tell you, to have portraits of the formers… enough to drive anyone mental."

"I'll deal with it." Harry shrugged, "it wasn't so much what the letter said as what Severus gave me his word on. Besides, him actually showing up instead of hiding behind owls was worth something." He tilted his head and then gave a short, humorless laugh. "Not a lot… but something. He'll leave me alone for good once I find a replacement. A lifetime of certainty that I'll be able to finish moving on is worth a year or less spent in the same castle with him, and not seeing him for the better part of it."

Ron gave him a partial smile, "you believe he'll keep his word? I recall him telling you more than once that he loved you."

Harry scowled darkly, jaw clenching, and turned away abruptly to head for more boxes. "Just finish packing up my books and we'll get this lot transported to the castle."

Ron watched the retreating back sadly before shaking his head. He worried for his friend, but at least Hermione and Neville would be there. As well as himself often enough. He could only hope though that this time Severus wouldn't be a fool. Even if it was a bit late… he'd already driven Harry away.

An hour or so later everything that Harry would have immediate need of at the castle had been packed in either cardboard boxes or various trunks. Sahara was waiting near the pile, and Harry had just found a bottle of wine he insisted they should drink during the unpacking.

Ron laughed and pulled out his wand. "You want to get Sahara or your mountain of crap?"

Harry pulled free his wand as well. "Mountain of crap. No offense, but I don't want to try and make you apparate through my wards with this much stuff. I at least know that you won't splinch my dog."

Ron took it good-naturedly. If there was one thing he'd learned about wards, you always defaulted to the opinions of those who had built them on what could or could not be done. But he couldn't resist a joking little, "you hope", before he strolled to the front door while calling for Sahara.

Harry rolled his eyes as he levitated his things out the front door after his friend. Just in time to see Ron and his dog vanish through the wards before he traveled completely outside the wards to begin locking his home down firmly. He didn't want any trespasser issues while he was away. He then apparated himself and his things to Hogwarts' gates.

Hogwarts

Harry couldn't find the energy to tell Sahara to stop racing around like a greyhound across the grounds of Hogwarts. As long as she didn't trip anyone aside from Severus, should the man dare show his face, he was perfectly keen to ignore it. Besides, he was currently helping Ron levitate his things towards the castle.

With Hermione and Neville, and most of the other professors who might have helped probably at lunch, it was just them. There had apparently been staff meetings today that Harry had missed. Not that he cared. So the entire day of moving had shaped up to just being he and Ron.

No, he didn't care at all that Severus had "forgotten" to mention the staff meetings. When Ron had explained Hermione's absence, he had met the news with only a shrug. It seemed that he and Severus were mutual in the idea that his not having to see him unless absolutely critical meant that staff meetings weren't in that category.

"Are you sure you're going to have enough time for the tutoring too?" Ron asked as they made their way through Hogwarts' halls.

Harry neatly sidestepped one of Sahara's more graceless moments, "nights and weekends. It'll be no bother. Besides, any detentions I have to hand out I can either have served with Filch or make them clean the classroom while I attend to the tutor sessions."

"Or make them serve them with Snape." Ron suggested with an evil smirk. "Just a thought, a little retribution."

"Honestly," Harry sighed as they rounded one of the last corners to the Defense classroom, "I'll be happy to forget he even exists while I'm here. No use in even indirectly associating with him."

Ron grunted, "so what are your plans? Back to the old D.A. routine?"

"If not on a broader scale." Harry agreed, "Voldemort may be dead, but if the past is anything to show… Grindelwald, Voldemort, and whoever was before them, then it's only a matter of time until a new threat. There's always going to be a new threat, and I have a year or less to beat into them some ways to survive."

Ron studied his friend critically for a moment before remarking, "you sound like Moody."

Harry actually laughed, "which one? Death Eater Moody or Moody who got outwitted by said Death Eater?"

"Both." Ron settled for after a fair consideration of the question.

They reached the Defense classroom not long later, and spent a moment in pause staring around the familiarity of it. Both of them had more than a fair share of memories about this room, and the subject taught in it. Good and bad.

Sahara decided instantly that the number of cabinets to rummage through were a _good_ thing.

Harry shook his head, "luckily they're empty."

Ron couldn't help but agree, sometimes he doubted if that Irish Setter wasn't half goat. But they left her to her inspections as they mounted the spiral staircase with their levitated loads and bypassed the office door for the door leading to the professor's quarters.

It was a door that Harry planned to ward just as strongly as the office door.

Once inside they let the boxes and trunks clunk to the floor, Harry opened the wine while Ron summoned some glasses out of thin air, and they got to the business of using their wands with one hand to unpack and direct the placement of things while the other hand nursed a glass of wine.

"You said these supposed teacher meetings last all day?" Harry enquired as he directed his clothes into the wardrobe.

"Yeah." Ron replied from where he was flicking his wand to shelve books.

"Good." Harry nodded curtly, "it'll give me enough time to ask the castle to give me a hidden door for here out on the main hall and then I have a few stops at Diagon Alley to make."

"Why do you need "enough time" for this?" Ron asked with a frown, though he didn't look away from what he was doing.

"Because I have a tutoring appointment tonight. And nothing against them, but Hermione and Neville would never let me get away before then."

Ron laughed, "who's on the books tonight?"

Harry quirked an eyebrow, glancing over his shoulder at his friend. "You wouldn't believe me even if I told you."

Ron actually stopped to frown at his friend curiously. "Oh? Need I unleash Hermione to skive off with your appointment book for a night?"

Harry laughed and turned back to what he was doing. "If you think it'll help. Tell you what, one day soon I'll introduce you. Until then, help me, or I let Sahara into your things."


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter Four

For Harry, the remaining time left until term began at Hogwarts was surprisingly far quieter than he'd expected. He wasn't the only professor who was ironing out lesson plans. He was just glad that he didn't have to start from scratch, his lessons that he taught normally would easily convert into something useable for an actual classroom. It was just the converting to align with the textbooks he'd chosen that was the real work.

He saw Hermione and Ron for either tea or the occasional dinner. He saw Neville every two days or so for conversation so he wouldn't go insane – although he wasn't sure how spending several hours of his day talking about the nuances of venomous tenta-somethings was healthy for him. Professor Flitwick he saw occasionally. The other professors, more often than not, seemed content with watching him when they saw him in the corridors, but as of yet he'd not been approached by those he didn't know.

As for Severus?

Harry could happily say that he hadn't laid eyes on the man since he'd showed up on his doorstep in Norway. He hadn't even had an owl. But he knew it was only a matter of time until they saw one another again.

After all, he knew without being told that he was obligated to attend the Welcoming Feast.

He planned to arrive early in order to commandeer an end seat. He sincerely doubted Severus would mind. As a matter of fact, he wouldn't be surprised if Severus had had similar thoughts, and put name placards on each place setting.

Rolling his eyes Harry re-inked his quill and got back to work.

That day would come soon enough.

And soon enough, it did.

It was a good hour before the students were due to arrive, and Harry was just finishing pulling on his robes while grumbling all the while about them. Yet there was nothing he could do, robes were as required for the professors to wear as they were for the students.

A cheerful woof jerked his attention from his mussing with the sleeve hems and over to the bed where Sahara lay as if she owned the thing. "Don't try playing the cute card, girl." Harry informed her, knowing his dog far too well to think she was on about anything else. "I'm not taking you with me."

He ignored the subsequent whine with a faint smile as he pocketed his wand.

The last thing his dog needed was a potential free-for-all banquet followed by Severus most likely attempting to hex her. An amusing way to call in the start of a new school year, surely, but not at all helpful to his goal to remain as far away and uninvolved with the Headmaster as possible.

Deciding it was best to lock her in his bedroom while he was away, he did so before setting out for the Great Hall.

It came as no surprise to him that he was the first one there.

Slowly he walked along the tables, melancholy written deeply in his expression as he looked around. He had so many memories of this place… good, and bad. But he didn't stop until he reached the head table. Choosing the left end seat he flopped into the high-backed chair with little grace, taking out his wand to begin twirling it absently around his fingers.

"I'm almost frightened to know how badly they're lacking." He muttered to himself, smiling faintly as a goblet of pumpkin juice appeared before him. A look around showed that no other goblets had appeared anywhere. Reaching forward he took it up and sipped on it with a slight frown. "At least the first years might not be too desperately lacking in comparison to possible backtracking with the other years."

"They'll be lacking."

Harry spat out his pumpkin juice in alarm before he turned with a glare as his magic was applied absentmindedly to cleaning the mess. "Where the bloody hell did you come from?"

Severus swept over unconcerned to his seat at the center of the table. "Surely you of all wizards haven't forgotten that this castle has secret passageways?" He simpered before looking over at the resigned looking new professor. "Why are you here so early?"

"I'm sure you don't need me to spell it out for you." Harry grumbled as he looked away.

"Trouble in trio paradise? I would have thought you'd at least have Miss Granger here to cling to." Severus remarked smugly, picking up his own goblet as it appeared.

Harry snorted humorlessly, "funny, you used to know that I didn't spend every moment attached at the hip to my friends. I spent quite enough time attached to yours if I recall correctly. Though it doesn't surprise me that your memory has gone to shit as well."

"That would have been almost eloquent of you if not for that last bit, Potter." Severus drawled back flatly, as if entirely uninterested in the words passing between them.

Harry merely sent his gaze heavenwards as he counted to ten… in Spanish… and then Latin… and finally redirected his attention to drinking his pumpkin juice. He saw no need to even bother with a reply to what he considered a rather lame jibe. After as many years as he'd spent with Severus, he knew when the man was fumbling. And a standard-issue throwaway phrase like that was a sure sign that Severus Snape was searching for stable ground.

It appeared the man actually _was_ reluctant – albeit rarely it seemed – to speak on their past relationship. It wasn't much… but he'd take it.

And so, relaxing back in his chair, and making a bit of a show about it, Harry took continued long sips of his pumpkin juice while tapping his wand against the table to a beat only he seemed to be able to hear.

Severus was fairly certain by the fourteenth repetition of that insufferable tapping noise that his brow was permanently fixed in an annoyed twitch. He didn't even care that his mask had slipped, and that the other professors were now beginning to file in. In all honesty, they seemed more wary of him than usual right now, and he couldn't find anything wrong with that assessment.

Hermione didn't waste much time in sliding into the seat next to Harry, and looking down pointedly at the tapping wand she cleared her throat. "Harry?"

Harry grunted in response, peering into his empty goblet with a slight twisting of his brow.

Hermione sighed, and reached over to halt the tapping. "Trying out to be the drummer for a Black Sabbath tribute band?"

Harry paused to recall the beats he'd been drumming out, and then straightened in his chair with a smirk. "I've got the hair for it. The piercings on the other hand mi – OW!" He suddenly yelped, ducking away from his abusive friend as several of the other professors peered down the table at them in confused curiosity.

Hermione leveled a deadpan look at the wounded expression on Harry's face. "You get a piercing, Harry James Potter, and the least I do won't be to pinch you."

"You mad woman." Harry grumbled as he rubbed at his arm dramatically. "I'd just get it in a place you'd be unlikely to notice."

Hermione tried her best not to show her amusement, but feared a smile might have briefly cracked. But she said nothing further to it. And for a good minute or two nothing was said between them, the general din of the other professors chatting around them was occupying enough for the time being as they waited for the students to arrive. But finally, she couldn't stave off her curiosity any longer. "Harry?"

"Mmm?" Harry hummed, giving nothing further.

"Did you two have an argument tonight?"

Harry didn't even have to ask her to clarify. He knew very well who she was talking about, and he found it exceedingly easy to resist the urge to glance down the table to where he _knew_ Severus still scowled. "Not exactly. But if this is only one of potentially two days I actually have to be in close proximity to him, he can scowl all he wants."

Hermione decided that it was a good enough answer, and that some things really should be left to lie. So embracing the technique of a blatant topic change, "Ron should have time off work to stop by this weekend if you'd like to come over for tea."

Directing a wan smile at the doors of the Hall that were opening at last with the rescuing breath of current students jostling to take their seats before the Sorting, Harry spoke candidly. "I'd like that very much. Just be sure to give me a time, I don't really want to walk in on anything scarring."

Hermione rolled her eyes, but couldn't argue with a good idea. "Ready for the next challenge?" She asked, her gaze on the students who were staring up at the Head Table and it's several new professors with plotting interest.

After being friends with certain Weasleys, one began to learn the looks of those they should watch out for.

"Are they?" Harry couldn't help but wonder as he centered himself in his chair.

Several more minutes ticked away before Professor Sinistra, dubbed the new gatherer of the first years, came striding in with a tightly grouped pack of wide-eyed and round faced children on her heels.

As Harry watched the sorting, he couldn't help but grudgingly reflect that he'd once looked so wide-eyed and round faced. And probably entirely clueless looking.

But at long last, all the new blood had been siphoned off to where it belonged, and Severus had swept from his chair with classic poise and robe-fluttering that succeeded in commanding attention to his presence even before he'd said a word.

Harry figured the dead silence that took over the once boisterous Hall was something born of the students having exceptionally good common sense. While the man had been downright a terror as a professor, driving more than one student to tears, as a Headmaster, the man was as ruthlessly disciplined as ever… but with more authority.

"Welcome," Severus purred in that dark, almost menacing way of his.

Harry had always been reminded of the many renditions of Dracula in muggle cinema when Severus spoke like that. He'd heard these speeches before, from the time he had still had every hope that he and the snarky Headmaster would make it, but this time, he paid special attention to it… at least, to one particular part of it.

"– professors this term." Severus continued on in that same Dracula-esque purr. "Professor Granger shall be replacing Professor McGonagall as Transfiguration professor. Professor Potter will be your replacement Defense Against the Dark Arts professor."

When Severus continued on seamlessly into other notes needing to be made, Harry turned to Hermione with a bit of a relieved smile. "No embellishments like he normally prefers. That was cut and dry standard."

"I doubt you had any cause to worry, Harry." Hermione murmured back to him, her eyes still wandering the students. Most likely searching for a protégé. "It's not like he's going to want to call more attention to it than already will be. That _Prophet_ article wasn't exactly on the back page."

Harry wondered to himself if it was too dark to have thought at the time of that printing, that it would have been better suited to his frame of mind to have it on the back page. With the obituaries. But he knew better than to say anything, and did his best to shove it away as best he could manage.

He knew that until he could find a replacement professor for him, he wouldn't be able to try and just leave it all behind again. But for now, he hoped he could do his best to at least not let the past bring him back down again.

Severus concluded his welcoming lecture to the students, and spun on his heel to sweep back around to his chair. Not once looking in Harry's direction. But he was not oblivious to the man's presence just down the table, nor was he oblivious to the looks being shifted between them from those students who had been in years low enough to have remembered Harry being there once before… and in what capacity.

He decided he was allowed to feel cheered by the knowledge that it was Harry who'd be fielding the inquiries from teenagers who didn't know how to mind their own business.

After the conclusion of dinner, and the departing of all the students, the professors began to depart as well. Judging by the smatterings of conversation he was catching, Harry deducted that several of them were inviting each other over for a stiff drink either in personal quarters or a jaunt down to Three Broomsticks. And they began to trickle away with such intentions firmly in mind.

"Nightcap, Harry?" Hermione offered her friend before looking at Neville. "Neville?"

Severus snorted derisively as he got up from his chair.

Harry didn't quite see what reaction it got from the others, or if he'd even been the only one to notice it, but he smiled at Hermione and shook his head, speaking up loud enough for Severus to overhear. "No. I'm going to go put up wards around the classroom to deflect copies of the _Prophet_. Something creative I think, maybe another night. Neville."

Neville offered up a hand slowly in a parting gesture, Hermione beside him looking the slightest bit put out.

Severus on the other hand found several words on the edge of his tongue that he decided not to say in favor of striding out of the Great Hall, intent on setting up wards himself… just in case. As an ex-soldier, he knew it paid off to be prepared for the worst. And the _Daily Prophet_, sure to catch wind of Harry's return to Hogwarts as a professor, was bound to be ready with some ragtag story for the morning printing.

He had absolutely no desire to see what drivel they came up with.

The moment he reached his office, Severus began muttering off spells to block against the infernal paper making its way onto his desk. And about to stalk up to his personal quarters and do the same charm work there, a voice called him back.

"You know, Severus, my boy, you should have invited him up here to help you. After all, he has the most experience in dodging these things."

Severus barely paused on his way up the staircase, "he's not as nice as you give him credit for. In his mind, he's already helping me enough by taking the job. I don't want to see him, and he's made it clear he doesn't want to see me unless absolutely necessary. And _this_ is not necessary."

Stomping the rest of the way up the stairs, Severus slammed shut the door to his personal quarters before applying more warding charms onto the rooms.

The first day of classes arrived with a cacophony of noise all across the school.

Most of that noise coming from the general vicinity surrounding the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom. It appeared that the entire corridor had been warded so that the copies of the infamous _Daily Prophet_ that had indeed arrived with the morning owl post burst into flame upon entry into the warded zone. And more than one student was forced to put out flames before being able to continue on without the banned article.

Harry was half leaning and half sitting back against his desk to face the students as they came in, some of them rather singed. Fourth years. Ravenclaws and Slytherins. If Harry had to admit, a rather crafty combination if they learned how to work together. And he continued to lean there against his desk until every single chair in the classroom had been filled with students who instead of chatting amongst themselves as he'd done in school, stared at him.

He stared right back, unaffected by the scrutiny.

The moment the last minute before class officially started ticked off the huge antique grandfather clock that was sitting directly in Harry's left peripheral vision, he straightened up from the desk with an air of confidence brought on by already having taught this many times. Even if it had been one-on-one.

"Welcome to Defense Against the Dark Arts," Harry began as his eyes swept the room, and as his clipboard containing his roster floated over to him he reached out to take it in hand. "Over the course of the term, I will teach you this art, for it is an art, so much as you are able to learn. Defense is about dedication, personal ambition, creativity. Unless _you_ have the tenacity to learn this pinnacle of survival…" he let that hang, more from distraction of the clipboard than any real attempt at dramatic effect.

Though when he looked back up it seemed what he hadn't intended was reality, and he was being raptly listened to. "We'll start with your names, and see where you're able to go from there." And glancing briefly back down at the roster looked back up, "Bennet."

And one by one, Harry went down the roster until he'd ascertained that everyone currently sitting in his classroom was meant to be there. So he dropped his hold on the clipboard, inwardly smiling at the fascination on the student's faces as it floated back over on its own to rest on his desk with perfect precision. "Parlor tricks. Handy, but I'm afraid very much for show. What you will be attempting to learn in this class, however, are neither parlor tricks, nor for show. They may become the very difference between whether or not you live to see another second."

He rather had expected it when a hand shot up at this. And Harry nodded to the individual.

"Murdock, sir. Gina Murdock." The girl said in way of introduction before continuing with her question. "Sorry, sir, but well… we… at least I think I speak for most of us… but how exactly _did_ you kill You-Know-Who? The one statement you ever gave was very vague. What is the spell that finally killed him? Will you teach it to us?"

Harry found himself grudgingly wanting to point out that that was more than the one question that should be allowed at a time per student. But he brushed it off, knowing it would have been asked sooner or later by another student. "The reason I gave a vague statement then, is the same reason I cannot answer you here in class." He said simply, but was not done. "There is magic that should be allowed to die out. Magic that should be allowed to be forgotten at last. Those who know what happened will say the same as I'm saying to you now. And like myself, they'll happily take that knowledge to the grave."

"But shouldn't we have a right to know? In case it happens again?" Gina pressed, undeterred.

"Then I hope you will pay attention in my class, Miss Murdock." Harry replied with a tight smile. "Your opponents don't exactly leave you a trail of breadcrumbs, and if they do, they're poisoned. I started out knowing nothing, and by using what I _did_ know, I was able to eventually gain enough knowledge to be victorious over him. It's not about what spells you know, but how you _use_ the spells you know. How you use the brain in your head. So use it."

And then Harry drew out his wand, clearly signaling that he would not discuss it further. It was neither the time nor the place to go into any further explanation than that. "Now if you'll all take out your wands, I want half of the students on my right, half on my left. You'll be pairing off against each other one at a time so that I may judge your capabilities of several basic defense spells."

There was a sudden scurrying of activity as the students all hastened to obey, and with a flick of his wand, Harry had the desks stacked neatly out of the way.

For the following two consecutive classes, Harry had been required to field several similar inquiries, though luckily none yet about a certain Headmaster. He suspected though that given due time, or classes of higher-up years, that he'd be needing to do so.

By the time he finally had a free period with which to grab himself some lunch he was definitely ready to have a break. Dealing with up to fifteen students at once, and doing the same tests over and over again to determine just where he'd need to start with them was rather draining. He was accustomed to only one student at a time these days, having been disassociated with a DA type activity in so long.

Only more incentive to begin his search for a replacement for himself.

The only problem he was foreseeing was the idea that Severus might have already chased away every witch or wizard he might find readily available on the mainland. Which meant that he had been thinking about sending out queries to his colleagues at the scholarship fund to investigate into any contacts they might have for him.

With Severus's word… all Harry needed to do was find a suitable person and inform them that under no condition were they to let Severus Snape see them even get a parchment cut, because it would all be downhill from there.

After sitting at his desk, summoning an elf which soon brought him food, Harry was able to wearily tuck in to a good meal.

And when he only had five minutes of a lunch hour left before he could expect the next horde of students to come rushing in, a knock at the classroom door had him raising his head. "Hey."

"I just wanted to inform you that your wards are working perfectly." Hermione informed him with a mostly straight face, but a glint of humor shined in her eyes and twisted her lips into a slight smile. "I have had more students come begging off not having their books due to them being charred beyond recognition."

Harry chuckled dryly, "did you restore them?"

Hermione huffed, drawing away from the door as she made to leave. "Only after I watched them sweat it a bit. You know I could never allow you to destroy a perfectly good book and not lift a finger."

Watching her leave, Harry smiled faintly. It was more that his bushy-haired friend couldn't help but want to seem like the perfect teacher to her students. She was unfailingly predictable in her pursuit of perfection.

Harry didn't stand until he heard the general din of students growing closer, only then did he make his way around the desk to lean back against it and shake the always-messy disaster of his hair out of his eyes so he could peer at this next group calculatingly.

They were seventh years. He was hoping for better results than he'd gotten the rest of the day.

He was not disappointed.

Not only were the students just a bit more ambitious – considering NEWTs were on the way he couldn't blame them – but they had been mature enough at the time they'd last been in his presence to strive for respect in every word they said to him now.

During the last few minutes of class, as the students were putting the desks back themselves at his request, one of those who had already succeeded had raised her hand promptly, without a word, waiting for her professor to notice her.

Harry glanced her way, and hesitated a moment before nodding. Why was it that it was always the _girls_ who had to be asking all the questions? "There's a few minutes yet, go ahead."

"Sir, are you and the Headmaster no longer fighting?"

And for that matter, _why_ did the girls always want to dig into his personal life? Although that wasn't really fair, he supposed, as Ron had been the one to sit with him over a flowing bottle of Jack and a cold pizza that night after he'd packed his things and high-tailed it to Norway. But perhaps best friends were the exception to the rule.

"Does it really matter so long as the castle doesn't come falling down around our heads?" Harry questioned back candidly, a smile lessening the harshness his statement could have carried. And then, addressing the group as a whole, waved his hand dismissively. "Don't forget that homework, I expect you to give it as much effort as you would a duel."

Harry watched them hustle out with a bit of a sigh, and a somewhat far-off smile. "Worry about yourselves, not me, not him. You're the future now. My part to play in it is already over."

The day continued on much in the same fashion. Spontaneous combustions of the _Daily Prophet_, fielding questions about topics which Harry would rather they not consider as part of the class curriculum, and testing to see just how much damage control he needed to do with the students.

He was just glad to see that so far they seemed eager to learn, and eager to please. And he had to wonder how much of that was his experience with doing something like this, his personally unwanted celebrity status, or how much was them actually desiring to know what he was prepared to teach.

By the end of the day, he was glad to see the last student file out. He didn't follow.

Instead he made a trip up to his own personal quarters; he had just enough time for a quick dinner for himself before his first tutor student of the night was due to arrive. And judging by the whining and scratching on the door as he drew closer, enough time to let Sahara outside for the bathroom.

"Least I'll sleep damn well tonight." He muttered as he opened the door, all the teaching and talking and running his own life in between was more draining than people gave it credit for.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter Five

For Harry, he couldn't be happier when the week finally came to an end.

Over its course he had finally heard the last of any copies of the _Daily Prophet_. Oh, he knew they were still out there; and more than likely with a new article to refresh the gossipmongers. But by now even the most lacking of students had cottoned on to the knowledge that a copy of the _Daily Prophet_ and the vicinity around his 'domain' equated to spontaneous combustion. After so many years of being privy to those articles about himself, he was quite glad to not be privy to them any longer.

And besides, it wasn't as if he didn't already know what any such articles would be about. If he wanted to give himself a migraine, he'd re-read some of his classes worst attempts at an essay.

Now he was taking what he felt to be a well-deserved walk with Sahara, who was currently pelting at breakneck speed across the grass – startling students and local wildlife alike. Not everyone had yet been subjected to the somewhat frivolous and firecracker nature of his dog, causing Harry to be grateful for the entertainment such a lapse could provide.

He followed after her on "their" walk down to the edge of the lake. Smiling to himself he watched as Sahara blurred past a group of students to catapult herself into the water with a massive splash. "Hope the squid doesn't eat her." He muttered under his breath as he found himself a nice rock to sit on near the edge of the lake.

After a time he had been cajoled by the pleading eyes of an Irish setter to find a stick to throw, and for the next fifteen or so minutes he would fling the stick out over the water to be chased after by Sahara and brought back dripping wet to him before he gave it another toss.

It was an activity that kept several of the nearby students entertained as they watched in between acting as if they were doing their assignments. If they were anything like he had been in school, Harry knew they were doing anything _but_.

Eventually Sahara tired, and flopped down onto the muddy bank with a whuffling noise that made Harry smirk down at her. "Getting old?" He teased, and earned himself his dog turning around to face away from him.

"Somehow this is fitting, you always did attract the mongrel canines."

It was upon hearing that silky tone, that Harry didn't even have to look to know who'd come up near to him, and he watched absently as Sahara adopted an uncertain posture where she lay. Yet his attention was more for the individual who'd disturbed his moment of Zen here by the lake as he replied quite calmly, "perhaps you're right. All of them damaged somehow by a past they couldn't help. How endearing of you to hold imperfection against others."

"Are you implying I am _imperfect?_" Severus growled the final word in a lower tone, his black gaze fixated on the lean back of the true bane of his existence.

"Not at all." Harry looked over his shoulder to rest his eyes on the man standing there over him. Noticing in a distant corner of his mind that the students that had been out here earlier had long since fled for it. "I can't help how you choose to interpret what I say, much less my actions. Now did you come here just to make snide comments about my choice of familiar, or did you have some other more adult reason?"

Severus ignored the quip, even if his eyes narrowed fractionally. "As a matter of fact I did, yet you make the mistake of thinking I intended to see you at all."

"And yet there you stand." Harry pointed out with a bit of a smirk at the icy look he was given. "Let me guess, you're off on yet another one of your expeditions into the Forbidden Forest in order to search for rare potions ingredients that just _might_ be there this time?" He asked, his tone implying he already knew that he was correct.

"Rarities never come to those who don't search for them, Potter." Severus sneered elegantly, but had yet to sweep away.

Harry rolled his eyes at the usage of his last name. "That's _Professor_ Potter, if you don't mind." He retorted back with something of a challenging smirk. He'd long ago stopped being intimidated by Severus Snape.

Severus glared, cursing the reality that he could do nothing to help the fact that he needed the brat here as just that, a professor. "Your impudence is fortunate I can no longer assign detention to it."

Harry turned around where he sat on the rock so he could fully face Severus now, having been getting a crick in his neck from looking over. And he rested his hands on his folded legs as he peered up at Severus with keen interest. "Clearly it never worked anyway, is that the best you really have after about a century of attempting to teach? You really should just have let students learn from the book, you know, and provided notes in the margins."

"And when I find that book you stole, I'll incinerate it." Severus threatened, not for the first time. "I don't need it accidentally ending up in another idiot's hands because you get forgetful."

"You'll not." Harry snorted derisively. "Besides, I'm not the one who left it lying about in the first place. I learned my lesson from that and have taken measures to prevent your slipup from occurring again."

"You always think you're so special, the exception to everything." Severus accused in silky tones as he observed the messy-haired younger man.

Harry actually arched an eyebrow at that, before shaking his head. It's not like it mattered anymore, it hadn't when they'd been in a relationship, it wouldn't now. "I'm tired of that argument, Severus." And he got off of the rock nimbly and straightened to look him straight in the eyes. "And the same answer I was telling you when we were together is the same one I'd give you now… except maybe you hadn't noticed, but I'm tired of trying to make you see outside of the same opinion you've had of me since I was a first year."

Whistling to Sahara, Harry swept around the man to head towards the castle. "If you can even remember what I always answered." He called back after about a yard or two, before quickening his pace.

Severus had whirled to watch Harry leave, his narrowed eyes pinned to the retreating back. "What you answered…" he breathed almost silently, before shoving it violently from his mind. And trying not to think on why he had, what was unsettling him so, he whipped around to continue on his way towards the forest, determined to shake Harry from his mind.

When Harry returned to his private quarters with a freshly _Scourgified_ dog, he found he was not alone.

Although not in the sense that such a realization might normally evoke.

"I didn't think you left that office, I've been here long enough." Harry said in way of greeting as he shucked off his robe to leave him in his black slacks and long-sleeved shirt.

"I'm sorry, my boy," the image of Albus Dumbledore spoke from within the portrait of Stonehenge that hung on the wall nearest the bottles of alcohol lined up on a tall and narrow wooden table set against the wall. "Severus has rarely left his office, and I've felt it prudent to keep an eye on him these first days of your being back."

Harry snorted humorlessly as he motioned with one hand to the grate of the fireplace to cause roaring flames to spring up from within. "Afraid he'd smash too many things? He'd have a lack of smashing things to accomplish, after all that he apparently took my departure very well." And Harry moved around to flop onto his couch with a sigh as he found his gaze attracted to the crackling fire. "Disappointingly so."

Albus had moved to the painting above the fireplace, now taking up residence next to a Hungarian Horntail who seemed to be dozing – luckily for him. "Something like that…" he agreed somewhat somberly, "Harry, you should know I did try telling him to go after you, for years I've been telling him."

Harry smiled a bit regretfully. "Thanks, but you needn't try anymore. It hurt to leave, but I've long since realized it was the right choice. And based on the short conversation I just had with him by the lake, he's not changed at all since then."

"The same, then?" Albus asked, blue eyes sympathetic.

"About so, yeah." Harry agreed and passed a hand over his face. "Honestly I now believe it had to be a miracle that he was ever able to let go of certain things enough to have fallen in love with me. And it's not like I didn't try," he lamented, not for the first time to his once-Headmaster and still-confidant, "for a whole year I tried. But he's just too damn stubborn sometimes… and I… I was tired."

Albus did know, he really did. He'd been there for that year, for all the years, and had seen the toll it had taken on his former student. "I know it may not mean much… but I _am_ sorry I had to ask you to do this for him."

Harry lowered his hand to shoot the portrait a small smile. "At least I have his promise that he'll leave me alone after this. Come winter hols I plan to send out a few owls to some of my contacts and see if anyone out there hasn't yet been scared off by Severus. I'll have no students at all come then. Plenty of free time."

"And how are the students you tutor doing? I admit I haven't really had word about it, only the vague mention that you do volunteer for it."

And so Harry happily began to relate stories to his interested audience, of past and present tutor students. Receiving helpful tips along the way as well, or names and descriptions of defense spells that he'd never even heard of. So when several hours later Albus excused himself on the pretense of leaving Harry to what he must need to do today besides entertain an old man, Harry felt a good deal more cheerful than when he'd first started speaking to Albus.

Harry was just about to call for one of the house elves to request some dinner when there was a knock on his door. And to his great confusion, it had come from his own private door that, to his knowledge, was warded invisible to all but him.

Not one to be caught off guard, Harry slipped his wand from its holster on his forearm and summoned the Mauraders Map. As it whooshed through the air to him, Harry caught it and quickly mumbled the charm before quickly finding the dot labeled with his name.

"Fuck me." Harry breathed as his eyes landed on the name 'Severus Snape'.

And as another knock rapped loudly against the wood, Harry tossed aside the map after quickly erasing it with a groan. Letting his head fall back against the couch, he wondered if he kept ignoring it, Severus would go away. Yet he knew that logically the man had no reason to believe he was anywhere else.

So with that uplifting thought in mind, Harry dragged himself off of his couch while wondering whether or not he could make the Chamber of Secrets hospitable as a place to live for the duration of his time here. There was no way in the seven hells that Severus would be able to get down _there_.

Making his way over to the door, Harry wrenched it open and leveled an unsurprised but all the same, forbidding look at the man on the other side of the threshold. "How did you even know this door was here?" He berated, even as he checked the wards just to be sure, and found them still intact.

Severus leveled a withering look at the disgruntled wizard. "I am the Headmaster?" He reminded Harry in a tone that wouldn't have been remiss in him scolding a student for stupidity without yet outright informing them of it. "It comes with certain advantages."

"Fantastic." Harry muttered, and found himself courting that Chamber of Secrets idea a bit further. Surely a banishing spell would get rid of the basilisk carcass, and there had to be a few charms to get the rotting odor of dead flesh out of the air. If not, there was always candles and muggle air fresheners. "What is it? I do have work I need to do, you may recall the demands of being a professor. Such as you were."

Severus leered at him. "As much as it pains me to be here, I find myself unfortunately in need of your assistance."

"Assistance." Harry deadpanned.

"As in come down to dinner tonight." Severus felt as much in pain as he probably looked to say those words. "The other professors, though I know that they know better, are under the impression it seems that I've banished you from any group setting with them. As you've also been deeming yourself too important to attend staff meetings."

"You said it yourself, they know better. I can't help it if people feel needlessly sympathetic towards me because you happen to be just a bit of a bastard." Harry informed him. "And you know just as well as _they_ that I've only been avoiding such things in order to avoid you. We both know it's for the best that I keep to myself. I won't be staying long if I can help it, and we just…" Harry shook his head with a sigh. "We don't get along like we used to."

"We do, actually." Severus disagreed after a moment's pause to take in Harry's words. "We get along how we did when you were still a student. Somehow we managed then to grace everyone with our presence at least at mealtimes."

Harry lifted his gaze to Severus's, his head falling slightly to one side with a lopsided sort of smile. "But that was before we shared a bed."

Some of the irritation ebbed from Severus's expression against his will, and he studied the young man before him, remembering too well the truth of Harry's words. "Just for tonight then, at least." He finally compromised, meeting that unreadable green gaze. "Erase some of the suddenness of this. Some of the other professors _are_ your friends, I think for your friends you could manage one night."

Harry didn't answer right away, though his fingers tightened marginally on the door which he still held open. An action Severus remembered as being one that signaled Harry was close to caving. And finally Harry let out a staggered sigh and looked over his shoulder. "Albus has been giving you lessons on appealing to the Gryffindor nature, hasn't he." He half-accused, and summoned his robe.

"No." Severus disagreed, and stepped back from the doorway now as Harry began to pull on his teaching robe.

Harry stepped out, shutting the door and locking it before glancing up towards Severus as they began to walk. "No?"

"I was appealing to your nature." Severus finally admitted when they were halfway down the current corridor.

Harry cast him a faintly amused and almost miffed look before saying, "I didn't think you knew how to anymore."

"I forgot, somewhere along the way." Severus muttered, though he knew Harry would hear.

They were nearly to the Great Hall when they broke the silence they'd fallen into. Neither of them entirely happy about tonight's circumstances, yet it was only for tonight.

"I spoke to Dumbledore." Harry was the one to end up breaking the silence, "I think he's worried about you smashing things."

"He needn't. I've already smashed everything he left me in his will." Severus informed him with a sense of satisfied justification. "Priceless or not, I perfected several lovely hexes against them."

"Smashing your own stuff, then." Harry provided with a roll of his eyes, unable to really find fault with Severus having destroyed his bequeathed items. As he recalled it, he'd once spent the better portion of ten minutes smashing much of Dumbledore's things during his school year. It had felt rather nice, actually.

"Now why would I smash _my_ belongings?" Severus snorted derisively. "He's still as foolish as ever. I'd happily smash your belongings though, if you'd care to donate. I found myself lacking in things of yours to smash when you left me."

Harry didn't even bother to rise to the smug comment aside from sending Severus a stony glare. Subsequently sweeping on ahead of him, although the temptation to hex the git was still foremost in his mind. _That_ was what Severus had worried about when he'd left? The lack of items to smash as opposed to going after him?

Not bothering to even see where Severus was, Harry burst through the doors of the Great Hall and stalked up along the House tables to the Head table, ignoring the startled and in some cases happy looks that the students shot him. And as he rounded the Head table, he quite happily took the last remaining seat on the end next to Neville.

"Harry?" Neville queried with a concerned expression as he looked between his friend and where Severus Snape had just entered the Hall to sweep in billowing robes up to the Head table where they sat.

"Just Severus, nothing new." Harry sighed bitterly as he picked up the fork that had just appeared before him along with a filled dinner plate.

After dinner was over, Harry had all but fled back to his personal quarters. His assistance over with, lest the rest of the staff badger Severus too much – heaven forbid. Surely they could understand his reasons, and it wasn't as if he _didn't_ spend time with his friends among said staff. Which only made him wonder if this had all been some elaborate scheme of Severus's set up for whatever twisted reason the man had.

It had at the very least been strange to have been approached by him twice in one day. Very strange.

Meanwhile Severus had made it up to his office, but not yet his personal quarters.

"What happened?" Came Albus's voice just as Severus had reached his hidden and warded store of firewhiskey underneath the prominent desk.

Severus mentally groaned as he heard that voice, and decided that perhaps he'd better bring the firewhiskey up to bed where it'd be blissfully quiet. Yet that didn't stop him from saying, "just Harry. Leave it be."

"Just Harry?" Albus echoed from within his frame. "He mentioned that you two had a run-in early today. That you brought up one of the old arguments he's done trying to be heard in."

"And I'm also under the impression he didn't appreciate my comment about wanting to smash his belongings." Severus smiled a bit crookedly, a hint of scorn in the pull of his lips.

"I'm surprised that surprises you." Albus began to frown. "Do you not remember how he acted whenever you'd give him a gift, even when it wasn't his birthday or at Christmas? He's never had much in the way of his own possessions, and he cherishes what he has… especially what he's been given by someone else."

Severus poured his glass of firewhiskey a bit more generously. "He rather brought it upon himself."

Albus couldn't think of _how_, but chose against arguing it, and was about to leave Severus to his drinking habits during which conversation with the man would be pointless anyway, when Severus suddenly spoke again in a far more thoughtful tone than before.

"He's said some things to me… today… and back in Norway…" Severus paused to consider his drink before continuing, "it made me realize some things I'd forgotten about him, things I shouldn't have. Some things I still can't remember. Why does that make me feel…" he broke off to shake his head, "I expect it's only natural. But it still bothers me on some level, no matter how many times I tell myself it doesn't matter."

Albus hesitated only a moment before broaching the subject with care. "This is the first time you've seen him since he broke things off with you and left. And compared to the time you two spent apart, your encounters have been frequent. It's only natural you'd start having these thoughts, especially considering how he left."

"And soon he'll leave again, and I'll be rid of him." Severus toasted himself, pointedly ignoring the fact that he had been the one driving away potential candidates since before Harry had ever ended their relationship. And he drank heartily to the thought of being free of him.

Albus could only watch, and wonder how long it would take for the two men he thought of as sons to finally break down and have the fight they should have had all those years ago when Harry had fallen onto leaving as his only remaining option.


	6. Chapter 6

Realized I kind of got away from beginning notes on this story... probably in my haste to finally get it up. But I'll try and make a better effort in that department, I know some of you read these things.

All I can say is lately it was hard for me to get my HP muses to cooperate, what with the last movie on the horizon. For some reason I have this mental block that happens when I know I'll soon be exposed to new material like that. But now that that is all over, I shouldn't have many more issues there. And on the movie subject, I think I cried more than I did with the last book... damn Rickman is a good actor.

* * *

Chapter Six

Near to a week passed Hogwarts by since the evening that Harry had gone down to the Great Hall for dinner. Harry had spent the time loading his student's down with work, both practical and written, and was taking great pleasure in seeing their competency grow with each passing assignment. He was determined that they would all be caught up to their true year level well before he passed them off to another professor come winter.

And such goals kept him well occupied. So occupied that he'd found it necessary to constantly choose a new place to review assignments each day, as the students were so prone to wanting to bother him during non-office hours that he was at least guaranteed a few hours alone in whatever hiding place he chose.

Today he'd chosen the docks that had once been the sight of his near-drowning during the Triwizard tournament. It wasn't exactly a popular location with the students, being somewhat removed from the normal student hangouts. So it suited him just fine.

As a spray of water launched towards him, he deftly moved the parchment he was holding out of the way of a soaking so that the water splattered the deck next to him.

It seemed that the docks were suitable to Sahara as well.

"Bit more to the left." He taunted lightly as he circled a correction on the assignment he was reviewing.

Sahara yipped smugly at him before resuming splashing around, carefree.

Harry was on the third to last roll of parchment when a shadow fell partially over him. "Bit more to the left." He entreated the individual, even as he realized who it was.

"Demanding as ever." Severus remarked archly, but moved as directed to cast full shadow over the younger man on the deck.

Harry smiled faintly and kept on grading. This time with plenty of shade to do so in.

Severus pandered for what seemed an interminable amount of time to him, before he swallowed his pride. "About wanting to smash your things –"

"Did you break into my quarters?" Harry asked with a sigh, not pausing with what he was doing.

Severus's words abruptly came to a halt before he glared down at the head of perpetually messy hair. "No." He grated out, biting back against the severe want to snap off a few sarcastic retorts. He knew that doing that would only be a setback to what he was trying to do now. "I was-_wasn't_ thinking when I said that. I was angry, and you know how I am when I get like that."

By this point, Harry had slowly laid down the parchment he was correcting, and now he slowly turned so that he could look up at the towering man. "Yeah… I know." He replied lamely, still trying to wrap his head around the fact that this was as good of an apology as he'd be getting about the incident.

Severus hesitated, torn between leaving now that he'd finally said what he'd been trying to track down Harry to say, and pushing his luck. He chose luck. "I know how you feel about gifts, you were always so happy…" he shook his head, steering himself back away from the memories, "did you… did you keep the things I gave you?"

Harry blinked, feeling more than a little bit shocked at this turn of events. Yet as he was able to focus more on the question at hand, he looked away with a heavy breath building inside him. "Are you wanting them back?"

"No!" Severus replied quickly, startling himself as well as a wide-eyed Harry. "No." He repeated, much more controlled. "I only… never mind. I need to go."

Harry let Severus get only three hurried steps away before he quickly stood. "Severus." He called after the man, who paused after a fifth step. "I've just tried to forget that you gave them to me."

And he could only watch as Severus swept away without a word, wondering just what had possessed the man to come down here in the first place about that. He hadn't thought Severus would have cared enough to apologize, even in his own strange way. It was baffling him to say the least, and he found it very difficult to concentrate on grading after that, such was his attention on trying to figure out what had suddenly gotten into the man.

Needless to say, hours later, he was just as pensive as he was surprised to find himself hesitating at the prospect of going down to dinner. Yet before he could make a decision, a prompt house elf made it for him by arriving with a selection of choice dinner courses, keeping to Harry's normal eating schedule and habits.

Harry sent the house elf away with a distracted word of thanks and sat down to eat with a gusty breath as he tried to push the incident from his mind, and wholly with it, Severus.

But as Harry soon determined over the passing of days, it wasn't so easy. A fact that only served to frustrate him underneath the collected mask he showed everyone else. All he wanted was to forget Severus, short of having Hermione obliviate him.

But he was beginning to suspect the fact that he had been trying not to think about; that until he was free of this castle and with Severus's promise as a guarantee, there was no reasonably logical way he could forget the man existed.

Even in a world filled with magic, sometimes fantasies were still just that, fantasies.

That fact was further impressed on him a fortnight later.

He was sitting in his classroom with one of his tutor students after their lesson for the evening. He himself was straddling the back of a chair they'd cleared out of the way while his student lounged on the floor.

"I need to figure out how to work this…" Harry mused aloud, staring at the stone ceiling.

"Work what?" Came the weary sounding question from the student who was still trying to catch his breath.

"I'm not sure the Room of Requirement will be able to accommodate what I have in mind… and it's what I would have used before. Before Norway." Harry began to lightly tap his wand against the back frame of the chair as he thought.

The student's head tilted a bit, "you're going to have to be a bit clearer. I may have known you for years, but seriously, sometimes you talk without really saying anything."

Harry spared a glare, which only earned him a smirk. "I'm _saying_ that I'm not sure the Room of Requirement will be able to expand enough to allow for the practical defense exercises I have in mind."

"Norway? Like all the other times?"

Harry knew it was a reasonable suggestion, but he had just barely managed to clear it with the advisory board that the students would be coming to Hogwarts for their lessons. Switching the location with the board for only a few days out of the week wouldn't exactly be a headache. It would be a migraine. "Voldemort was more accommodating than the advisory board I work under, even for all they were the ones who wanted me."

"Rather like how you ended up here?" The student waved a hand around at the Hogwarts defense classroom.

Harry gave a sardonic roll of his eyes, "still a thorn in my side. Are you implying I am prone to caving?" But he shook his head, not at all done, "… I suppose you'd be right."

"Well since you're here, we're here, why can't we use the grounds here? Aren't they large enough?"

"More than." Harry sighed, throwing his weight backwards. "I'd have to clear it with Severus though, and that…"

The student gave him a grim half smile. "It's that or the advisory board, and honestly, who will take less time for you to convince?"

Harry flopped back forward, his free hand coming to cradle his forehead. "I'd rather not think about it."

But think about it he did, long after his student had taken the floo home. He thought about it well into the early morning of the next day, whereupon he finally decided that if he were going to get any sleep at all before classes in a few hours, the sleep would be best had in his own bed and not on his sofa with Sahara as an ungainly blanket.

He spent breakfast making his final decision, and then spent the better part of the rest of the day convincing himself that it was the best one.

And for the seemingly endless minute it took him to tell the house elf that he would not be needing dinner in this evening, he reveled in the irony that his inability to keep his two workplaces separate was about to culminate in _this_.

At least the expressions on his friends faces, and others, would be well worth it.

His arrival to the already filled Hall was not overlooked, and Harry bore with the stares he was getting from students and staff alike as he marched his way up to the head table. He knew that a great many of his fellow professors were eyeing him in surprised concern, and that Neville was looking at him as if he'd taken leave of his senses, but he ignored it all.

Instead he swept confidently up to the empty seat at the end and lowered himself into it.

Madam Pomfrey, in her seat next to the former student who had practically had his own bed in the hospital wing during his school years, looked over at him with reproach and concern. "I do hope that you're not planning to land each other in the ward tonight."

Harry chuckled darkly, and without much humor as he selected a dinner roll and began to drizzle honey over it. "You make it sound as if we have a reputation."

"You do." She confirmed, deadpan.

Harry's answering smile was thin, and as he took a bite of his honey-covered roll sent a look down towards where Severus was sitting, lightly tapping at the steel barriers of the mental wards surrounding that unreasonable mind.

Severus reacted instantly with a glare in Harry's direction. Both for the intrusion into his rather lovely dinner, and to cover over the inane leap his insides had done at the feel of it. Even after all this time he could still recognize the feel of Harry's magic against him.

Harry merely arched an eyebrow towards his hairline in the face of the scowl and turned back to his dinner. He knew nothing further would be needed, Severus wouldn't pass by the opportunity to snarl at him after dinner about what he'd just done, allowing him the perfect opportunity to discuss what he'd come down here for.

Yet when the last of the students had begun to wander away back to their dormitories, and the teachers their own quarters, Harry found himself unable to quickly do the same for more than one reason as Hermione intercepted him before Severus and his temper had a hope.

"House elves refusing to bring you dinner?" She asked as she leaned against the high back of the chair Harry still sat in as he indulged in a crème brûlée.

"I _can _cook." Harry reminded her affectionately before shaking his head. "I just have something I need to talk with him about, and the sooner the better. So don't worry."

Hermione smiled back before she darted a look to where Severus had gotten up and was clearly making his way over, and she looked back at Harry with a smirk. "Don't destroy the castle." She implored in parting before making her exit.

Severus meanwhile had come to loom over Harry like an ominous cloud. "Your continued disregard for privacy seems to be a permanent fault."

"Technically," Harry began with a flourish of his dessert spoon, "I knocked politely and didn't attempt to shove my way in. If anything, I'm the most polite guest _you've_ ever had."

"What is it you want?" Severus growled, ignoring the remarks.

Harry set his spoon down, dessert gone, and stood himself causing Severus to back away a pace. And his green eyes locked onto black as he looked up at the man. "I want permission to use the grounds after nightfall for a few of my tutor students to practice on. That point in their progress is coming up and I find myself without my own property to use. And I'm not going to make them and myself floo back and forth to Norway every night for practicals after I'm done with instructions here."

Severus sneered elegantly, "you're asking permission and yet demanding you're going to do it at the same time?"

"Would you expect anything less of me?" Harry asked back with a growing smirk.

"I'd expect that if I said no you'd do it anyway." Severus muttered darkly, ignoring the way Harry seemed to brighten in amusement at the comment. "Why do you even bother with asking?"

"Habit to try and go about things the proper way before just doing it anyway. I'm impulsive, you know that." Harry reminded him amiably enough. He had always enjoyed getting Severus in this position, and it didn't seem as if some things ever changed, as much as it made him feel awkward to be enjoying himself even a little bit right now.

Severus let out a world-weary sigh as he tried not to curse those expressive green eyes that showed him just how much amusement Harry was getting out of this. "Have you forgotten that your impulses make things twice as hard on me?"

"Only when you go against them, Severus." Harry pointed out reasonably. "And this isn't anything like before. This is me teaching a few more students, which if you'll kindly remember, you've been forcing me to do for you for several months now. Although if you're having second thoughts about my capability as a teacher to handle even _three_ students maximum, then please, force me to resign."

Severus glared at the impertinent brat that stood so confidently before him. "Please, force my hand in this." He retorted in a sarcastic snap.

"If I must." Harry agreed easily as he turned away. "Just keep Filch indoors on Saturday and Sunday nights. I'd hate for him to get in the way of the wrong hex. Ancient artifacts should be kept somewhat protected."

"Years ago I'd not have minded you ridding me of the man, but you were still a student then." Severus quipped after him. "I'd have had you employed without pay as his replacement, it would have been possible with all the detentions you earned."

"From you." Harry rejoined, half turning as he continued walking. "Strange that _none_ of my other professors had near your track record for being a prat."

"None of your other professors were competent enough to look past your fame or sad sob stories to do what needed to be done." Severus decided as he continued to follow the younger man out into the expansive corridor beyond the Hall.

Harry laughed, "while _you_ would have had me cleaning floors all day, _they_ were actually doing their job and training me as a wizard. For all that you were supposed to be protecting me, don't you think you rather brought some incidents on yourself?"

"Had you obeyed the rules I so diligently punished you from breaking, most of them would not have occurred. Unfortunately, although the students believe otherwise, I am not able to be in two places at once and could not therefore have spent every waking moment giving you detention every time you tried to step toe out of line." Severus informed him haughtily. "But had I been able, I guarantee you I would have slept better at night."

"You wouldn't have slept better even if I had started behaving." Harry said, turning with a humored flicker in his eyes. "You'd have been wondering what I was plotting by trying to lure you into a false sense of security."

"I wouldn't have put it past you." Severus frowned at him, walking up to stop before the young professor. "Put like that, and it's almost a shame I needed to keep you alive."

Harry tilted his head with a smirk. "Almost. But don't worry, Severus, I have a late gift for you in the form of me being gone within the year. You have my full permission and in fact, my full desire that you believe me from that moment on to be dead."

"You have yet to find me a replacement for you." Severus replied silkily, lifting a hand in forgotten familiarity to swat at the unkempt mop that Harry insisted was hair. Only to realize his familiarity too late as he jerked his hand and eyes away. "Just keep your special projects from destroying school property or it'll be out of your salary."

Harry regarded the man with steady eyes as he backed a step away. "As if I've ever been concerned about any of that." And he turned to leave, getting only a few steps before shooting the man a backwards glance. "Goodnight."

Severus didn't say anything, just watched Harry resume walking before he himself turned and swept away.

Harry didn't stop until he reached his quarters, and upon seeing the extra subject in one of his landscape paintings, shook his head as he stooped down to return Sahara's enthusiastic greetings. "I'm sure he'll need you more right now, I rather extorted him and I'm sure he'll want to yell at you for finally convincing me here… even if he thought I was the only one suitable."

From the painting, Dumbledore considered his former student with one of those timeless blue-eyed looks. "He always has... and has always dealt best with some of your more frustrating actions alone. Rarely would he ever discuss them with me even when forced."

"Then you can make sure Sahara doesn't get into too much trouble." Harry sighed as he straightened and cast his robes aside while making his way to the bedroom door. "I need some sleep, before I start wondering if there's any way I can extract money out of a portrait for therapy costs."

On nearly the other side of the castle, Severus was wondering almost the exact same thing as he poured himself a bedside firewhiskey and tried to forget the memories that had resurfaced in the pleasant haze of intoxication.


End file.
